Rangers sign Tinoco, per report
The Rangers have reportedly signed reliever Jesus Tinoco to a minor league deal
The Texas Rangers have signed free agent reliever Jesus Tinoco to a minor league deal, per Jon Heyman on Twitter. The deal hasn’t been officially announced by the Rangers, though they usually tend to announce a bunch of minor league signings at once, so we may be waiting a little while for an official announcement.
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The 29 year old Tinoco spent the 2023 season pitching for Seibu in the NPB, throwing 50 innings in 52 appearances, striking out 43 and walking 22. Originally part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, Tinoco was traded to the Colorado Rockies in the 2015 deadline deal that sent Jose Reyes to Colorado and Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto.
Tinoco was signed by the Rangers to a minor league deal prior to the 2022 season, and he ended up putting up a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 IP over 17 games, albeit with a 4.22 FIP. He is most notable for giving up home run #62 to Aaron Judge in the next-to-last game of the 2022 season.
Tinoco gives the Rangers some AAA bullpen depth, something that every team needs. I wouldn’t expect him to be a serious contender for the Opening Day roster, barring a rash of injuries.
